Fire Escape Routes: Making Building Exit Identification More Reliable

Having a well defined fire escape plan is essential for emergency preparedness. Routes must be short, easy to navigate, and efficient to ensure everyone gets out in a timely manner. Path markings combined with appropriate signage are very important components of emergency safety. These items offer pertinent information to occupants regarding where to find exits or equipment. Egress path markings also help individuals safely pass through hallways and down stairs as they exit the building. Safety signs come in a large variety to ensure everything is available for identifying fire escape routes. You have the option to choose luminous or lighted signs for these routes. The International Code Council (ICC) determines what types of notifying items are required for both existing and new buildings. As long as the signing matches their particular requirements, it can be made from multiple materials. Common sign materials can be incandescent lighted, LED, or photoluminescent.

Self Luminous Safety Signs: How Do They Improve Visibility?

Fires provide different visibility complications over other types of emergencies. This is because smoke and other factors are added to the already challenging environment. Lighted signs are not as visible in a smoky building. If the fire is large, occupants will have a hard time finding their way out with non-luminous signs. The situation becomes more difficult when a fire causes loss of electricity. In some cases the generator will not power the backup lighting leaving everyone trying to find their way in the dark. This exact scenario has caused many injuries which could have been avoided. You could spend far more in legal fees making up for these issues than is required to install reliable identifiers.

A higher upfront cost may be the reason why you are shying away from purchasing these products for your buildings. The greater expense is minimal compared to what you will spend maintaining lighted identifiers. Self luminous safety signs do not require maintenance such as bulb changes or wiring repairs. They also do not run on electricity. If those costs are factored in advance during the construction of a building, a significant savings in wiring & labor can be achieved, more than offsetting initial costs. By using these signs throughout your building, you can drastically cut down energy costs each year. Depending on the size of your building, these savings could total in the thousands. Photoluminescent signs are also better for the environment, do not contain toxic materials, and are easy to dispose of.

Self luminous safety signs prevent confusion in emergencies where smoke is heavy or electricity is not present. In a real emergency, a single second cannot be wasted. Occupants who cannot find their way are at risk of smoke inhalation, burns, and panic caused injuries. If there are no visible exit markings, fatalities can also result. Failure to comply with regulations can cause legal responsibility to fall on your business. Even if signs do meet set codes, injured parties may attempt to win a settlement legally. This costs money even if you are found not to be negligent for the injuries. By installing these reliable items throughout your building, you can prevent these expenses as well as reduce cost of use. GloBrite has all the photoluminescent identifiers needed to make your buildings as safe as possible for occupants.